Ernie Harwell
Ernie Harwell
William Earnest "Ernie" Harwellwas an American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 seasons, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called the action on radio and/or television. In January 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Harwell 16th on its list of Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSportscaster
Date of Birth25 January 1918
CityWashington, GA
CountryUnited States of America
It isn't me that people love. It's baseball.
Everybody we meet has an influence on us and an impact - good or bad. And I think that's why we have to be careful with the way we handle people because what we're doing is making an impact.
What happens with any announcer when he comes into an area, if he stays four or five years and does a fairly decent job, people accept him and he becomes part of the family.
The game's the thing. That's why people tune in. They don't tune in to hear an announcer.
I always played it down the middle myself. I had my own rule. If anything affects the game, if it would be in the paper or people were going to talk about it, I had to mention it. If a player missed the cutoff man or threw to the wrong base, you have to report it. If he made three errors, it's a matter of fact. Nobody that I ever worked for a ballclub or sponsor told me to do this or do that. I never had to contend with that. I feel sorry for the guys who get in that situation. It's not their fault.
I decided very early that I was going to be a reporter, that I would not cheer for the team. I don't denigrate people who do it. It's fine.
I deeply appreciate the people of Michigan. I love their grit. I love the way they face life. I love the family values they have.
I decided very early that I was going to be a reporter, that I would not cheer for the team. I don't denigrate people who do it. It's fine.
But most of all, I'm a part of you people out there who have listened to me, because especially you people in Michigan, you Tiger fans, you've given me so much warmth, so much affection and so much love.
I'm not an expert. I just want people to stay healthy, keep in shape and live the best life they can.
Especially in this strike filled year but my feelings about the game are still the same as they were back then and I think that maybe yours are too.
Radio will always be with us because of its great portability. TV can't give you that.
Radio is such a great medium. It makes you use one of the most important things God gave you imagination. The listener can picture what the announcer is telling you.
My bosses said, 'He's a mean, old man. He's not going to talk to a kid like you who's just starting out,' ... But he was very warm, very hospitable. I sat in the living room with him and we talked for about 15 minutes on the air. He filled the whole program, then we sat around and talked a lot more.